Formula 4 SEA – fuelled by Petron – 26 August 2019  A fantastic weekend at the Sepang International Circuit saw the F4 racers put on a display the likes we have come to expect for Formula 4. The 10 event 40 race championship stopped off at the Home of Malaysian Motorsport for the seventh event in the season and it was something to watch.

Hadrian David took three race wins and the weekend trophy, despite fierce competition from Josh Smith.

The Malaysian rocket, Muizz Musyaffa, returned to form this weekend. Challenging Hadrian for the lead in race 2 and ending up third overall ahead of Elias Seppanen.

Lucca Allen had a strong weekend to finish ahead of Shihab Al Habsi. The duo always in the fight, but not quite finding a way to the front.

The Portuguese rookie, Frederico Peters, who joins us for the first time this weekend did fantastically well for his first outing, finishing ahead of Yuma Shoji.

While Luke Thompson, Sneha Sharma and Muhammad Ibrahim rounded of the grid

Hadrian victorious ahead of a fierce battle for third in Race 25

Hadrian David lead us down into turn 1 of race 25. The Frenchman keeping Josh and Elias behind him through the first sector. However, some contact between Elias and Josh, allowed Lucca to find his way into third at the fourth corner. It wouldn’t stay that way for long, because the battle for third position was fierce.

Lucca, Elias, Muizz and Shihab all had a name in the game. The quartet were evenly spaced with a couple of tenths between them. With all four lapping close together, and focusing on their group, that opened the door for Hadrian to build a gap.

The Frenchman did just that. Breaking into the 1:13’s and starting to pull away. But Australia’s race smith was also in open air. Josh found a way into the 13’s and started to chase down the man at the front of the grid.

The action though was the battle for third! Elias had managed to find his way back past Lucca and Muizz was closing in on the Irishman as well. The closing Malaysian drew Lucca’s attention from Elias. Paradoxically though, the closer Muizz got to Lucca, the more time he lost in the aero wash in the first sector. The sector where Shihab was the fastest man on track! That allowed the Omani flyer to catch the Malaysian rocket, forcing him to focus on defence and letting Lucca get away.

This cycle would continue until the end of the race. With the drivers just to evenly matched to find a way past. Making it Hadrian, Josh, Elias at the flag while Fred snatched rookie third and Sneha was the leading lady.

All in all, a fantastic race which may make a very interesting reverse grid this afternoon.

Hadrian wins race 26 despite intense competition from the Malaysian rocket, who sets the fastest lap!

With the reverse grid in race 26 we were set for some action-packed racing. Sneha Sharma started on pole, with Muhammad Ibrahim and Frederico Peters just behind her. The trio raced through the first sector of the track with the Portuguese rookie managing to find his way to the front!

Hadrian, Elias, Lucca, Josh, Shihab and Muizz were all starting at the back. This group are ridiculously fast and surged through the field. The battling causing a few squirrely moments. Most notably Muizz seemed to hit into Shihab at turn 2, causing him to spin out.

Up front Fred was taking advantage of the situation and pulling away from the pack. Carving out a nice lead for himself of about three seconds. The Portuguese driver doing extremely well for only his second time in an F4 car.

However, the championship leaders were fast encroaching! Lucca Allen amongst them. The Irishman went up the inside of Muhammad Ibrahim at turn 5. Trying to squeeze past the blue number 33. But the two collided mid corner, beaching Ibrahim on the grass at the exit of turn 5. That brought out the safety car.

It was now Fred, Muizz, Hadrian. The gap to the leader dwindled to nothing, as the marshals recovered the blue 33. With 7 minutes left to go, the safety car lights went out and Fred took control of the pack.

He gunned it on the exit of turn 15, but Muizz seemed to carry more speed. Moving alongside the Portuguese rookie down into turn 1, where Hadrian followed the Malaysian past into first and second.

From then on it was a two-horse race. Muizz Musyaffa and Hadrian David.

The Malaysian rocketed around the track setting the fastest time in one sector, only for Hadrian to respond in the next. Eventually the Frenchman found a way past. But Muizz didn’t give up! Pushing Hadrian until the chequered flag and setting the fastest lap of the race in the end. But Hadrian managed to hold on to the lead, making it David, Musyaffa, Allen at the flag. While Sneha took the leading lady trophy.

One of our more action-packed races, that left me at least, hungry for more action tomorrow. 

Wet and wild race 27 sees Hadrian, Muizz and Shihab victorious!

It was a wet morning for race 27 here in the Sepang International Circuit. The reverse grid put Sharma on pole ahead of Thompson and Shoji. The Irishman went around the outside of Sneha through turn 1 as Hadrian and Shihab went three wide with Fred, who had found his way into third. The Frenchman took the outside line through the corner and for a second it looked like he didn’t carry enough speed, but then he dived up the inside of T2 and surged into third. With Fred in fourth and Shihab in Fifth.

Lucca Allen followed the pack closely in his blue number 3 just ahead of Elias and Josh Smith. The trio have been giving each other fierce competition the entire championship and this event was no different.

But before they could amaze us, Hadrian David found his way past Sneha at T4 and started to hunt down thompson at the front of the grid. The yellow number 42 drove well, but couldn’t hold on to the lead as the French F4 championship leader eventually found a way past at the first corner.

In the meantime, the Malaysian Rocket, Muizz Musyaffa, had found his way up into fifth and was charging down the pack. The next car in his sights was Shihab Al Habsi. However, the wet weather got to the Omani Flyer before Muizz could. Causing him to spin out on the exit of turn 8 gifting position to Musyaffa. That put him up into fourth. With Lucca Allen Infront of him.

But the sizzling Irishman hadn’t been wasting time. He’d tracked down his compatriot Luke Thompson and after Luke had a poor exit through from the fourth corner, the two cars were side by side. Lucca faked left then went all the way around the outside at turn 5. Putting him in a beautiful position coming into turn 6. The 2 cars were wheel to wheel with the whole of race control on their feet. But mid corner the two Irishmen collided. Taking them both out of contention.

That made it Hadrian, Muizz, Shihab at the flag. We don’t do many races in the wet, but we’ve come to expect fantastic things when we do. Race 27 was no different and made a great Segway to the final race of the weekend.

Australia Race smith on top in race 28

A fantastic start saw 3 red streaks on our screen as Hadrian, Josh and Elias sped around turn 1 at the Sepang International Circuit for the 28th race! The procession filed through the first sequence of corners, with all of us wondering who would be the first to make a move.

It was at the final corner of lap 2 were Josh pounced. Hadrian moved to the inside, breaking Josh’s slip stream. So, the Australian race smith went wide, compromising his entrance to the corner. But Josh had a plan and used his line to get a truly fantastic exit coming out of 15 and gunned it down the main straight.

France and Australia were side by side as they crossed the start finish line onto lap 3. Hadrian pushed Josh right up to the pit wall. But the Aussie hung in there and powered down into turn 1 ahead of the Frenchman. For a second it looked like Josh had gone too deep, and Hadrian came back on the inside of the corner. But as is the nature at Sepang, Josh was now setup on the inside of T2 and dove into the corner. The right front endplate of the number 5 car came into contact with the rear left wheel of Hadrian’s 26 and although both drivers continued, we now had an Australian race leader.

Hadrian was under immediate pressure from the pack behind him. Lucca, Elias and Shihab had been fighting each other, but sensing blood in the water, were now all over the back of the Frenchman. Through turn 4 it was so close we couldn’t tell the cars apart and then down through turn 5 they went 4 wide, with Josh just inches ahead.

Despite the ridiculously close racing, Hadrian held onto his second position until the end of the race. Making it Josh, Hadrian, Lucca at the flag. A truly fantastic end to the weekend that set the standard for the rest of the year!

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